There is still an air of disappointment among many fans and Rowett admits results have not gone as well as everybody would have liked.

He talks about the team's inconsistency, the cultural changes that are being made at the club, how change might take a little longer to achieve than first thought and how he wanted to hit the ground running this season a little quicker than has been the case.

But Rowett remains positive about the work being done and he is confident that will reap rewards moving forward.

"Yes, we have been inconsistent. I am not going to make excuses," he said. "I know football, and if you don’t get results quickly the pressure comes on everybody. I accept that.

"I think long term the things we are trying to do will reap rewards. It has been inconsistent but if you look at some of the games - Cardiff away, Hull at home - the measures are there but we haven’t managed to do that often enough.

"If we win our game in hand, we are up and around it, and that’s where we want to be. There's lots of work to do, but it’s early days in the season."

Former Derby County manager Steve McClaren

Rowett was appointed in March this year after Steve McClaren had been sacked by Derby for a second time in less than two years, a move that placed a question mark over the club's decision to reinstate the former England boss.

Nine games remained last season for Rowett to take a close look at the squad. He knew plenty about the players already but there is nothing like close contact to obtain a real insight.

Derby finished ninth last season and 13 points short of the play offs. Something had to change, the squad needed a shake up in the summer.

Rowett spoke of the areas of the team he wanted to strengthen and the missing ingredients he wanted to add. He also stressed the need to reduce the size of a top-heavy squad.

It all pointed to a testing summer transfer window.

Rowett brought in five new faces in Curtis Davies, Andre Wisdom, Tom Huddlestone, Tom Lawrence and Sam Winnall (on loan). Five became six when free agent Joe Ledley signed after the window closed.

Curtis Davies after Derby County's game with Cardiff City (Image: Andy Clarke)

Derby moved out seven 'senior' players in Will Hughes, Tom Ince, Cyrus Christie and Abdoul Camara while Nick Blackman, Craig Bryson and Jacob Butterfield left on loan.

Rowett wanted to do more business, but that will now have to wait until January.

Looking at the challenges he has faced, Rowett said: "We are trying to change a lot of the cultural pieces that have built up over time.

"Any manager coming into a club that’s had five managers in the last couple of years is going to inherit some very good players and a very good squad, but also a real mix of styles, a real mix of players willing to play a certain way.

"We hoped we could synergise that a little bit quicker, but it hasn't quite gone to plan in that sense.

"We've got a lot of first-team players. We spoke about the numbers in the window, and about trying to get those numbers down. There was a specific reason in trying to do that, and it is about synergy in the squad.

"You cannot have too many players (not in the team) because they get frustrated and that drags a little bit in what you are trying to do. That is still there, and it is something we haven't managed to affect in the window for various reasons."

Keeping players who are not in the team happy is all part of the challenge managers face.

"That is part of man-management, and me trying to keep those players focused and, not so much happy, but committed to what we are trying to do. I think you will find that with any club up and down the land," Rowett added.

"I knew we were going to have some challenges with that. It is a different problem to one we have faced before, which is a good thing because it is a different test."

Derby go into their next fixture, at home against rivals Nottingham Forest, needing a win to lift fans following a sticky September.

"I accept results have not been as good as we would like them to be, I would never hide away from that or blame the players for that," Rowett said.

"I pick the team and that is my responsibility but a lot of things we are doing are good, we just need to see some of that transmitting onto the pitch on a more regular basis.

"We have got some good results and performances, and we have had some poor results and performances. I think that has been the frustration.

"What is a positive for me is that we have shown we can perform to a very high level. The next bit is to get that on a more consistent basis. You can go up and down the League and look at lots of big teams who are not quite hitting their form at the minute.

"I hoped we would hit the ground running a little bit quicker but that is part of the challenge, finding the solution."

Rowett says the players have responded to what he and his staff are trying to implement.

"We think there are areas we have improved off the pitch but now we have to really focus on that consistency on the pitch," Rowett added.

"We are still very much positive about what we are doing. We have not shown it on the pitch yet but when you are trying to change a culture and a way of playing, that is going to take a little bit of time."